Lemon Drops

2009-07-15T22:25:00.002-04:00

So we get to the "dog days" of summer....It seems like just a few days ago that I was heading north to begin another baseball season. The team has certainly been through a lot in terms of wins and losses, crazy road trips, personnel changes and so on. As we head into the final home stand of the first half of the season, our record sits at 20-24 which puts us in fourth place. The New Jersey Jackals have been the team to beat thus far and they should clinch the first half title in the next day or two if they have not already done so. The have by far the strongest pitching staff and a great combination of speed and power. Another thing that they have, which we lack, is experience. It seems like all of their guys have at least 3 years of experience and it has shown up on the field. As we push towards the end of the first half it seems an appropriate time for the unveiling of the first annual "Mid-Season awards presented by Greg Lemon".

I have decided to name award winners for both my Defenders squad and the league at large. Let's start with the Defenders awards....our first award is the most outstanding pitcher and this half's award goes to right hander Nick Asselin. Nick leads the team in wins (5) and has given us a chance to win every time he has taken the ball. His latest start was a 7.2 inning effort against New Jersey in which he allowed only 3 runs and earned the win. Juan Padilla has earned himself most valuable first half reliever. This one is pretty simple, we have 2o wins and he has saved 14 of them, enough said. This half's offensive MVP goes to OF/1B Jerod Edmonson. Eddie is currently leading the team in average (.315) and is second on the team in both homers (8) and RBIs(25). Our first half defensive MVP goes to second baseman Boomer Berry. He has made countless web gems and to my knowledge has not missed an inning so far this season.

In the league-wide award division, New Jersey starter Aaron Wideman gets most outstanding pitcher while teammate Rusty Tucker and his 12 saves takes the most valuable reliever award. Both these guys are a pain to face and have helped propel the Jackals to the top spot in the league standings. My most outstanding offensive award goes to Quebec C/1B Pete LaForest. If you recognize the name, it is because he played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007. Although he is not among the league leaders in average, he leads the league in homers with 11 and quite frankly does not appear to be challenged by Can-Am League pitching. I don't think it hurts having experienced big league pitching for a few years but regardless he is here now and is tearing it up. The fans in Quebec love the guy and his French name, Pierre Luc LaForest just rolls of the French tongue of the PA announcer. I am not going to name a league defensive MVP for the first half because I do not feel that I have seen enough of the contenders but you can expect to see that award in the end of the season awards, so stay tuned.

My overall opinion of the Can-Am League thus far is a positive one. The travel is not all that bad (as long as you drive the correct direction!) and we get to play in nice ball parks. While the fan support at Holman Stadium has been streaky, most of the other league venues draw pretty well, especially on promotional nights. The league gem in terms of visiting team experience has got to be Quebec, who averages about 3,400 a night. They feature a left field beer garden which was packed all 3 days we were there and came complete with French speaking hecklers. One man was kind enough to yell at us in English saying, "Get the F#$% out of Iraq". We were lucky enough to face Gagne in Quebec and on that night we played to about 5,500. And the fans in Quebec are not just merely there. They are into the game, applauding defensive plays and good baseball, such as moving runners, etc. It is hard to say where this league ranks in terms of level of competition with other Indy leagues. All I can do is compare it to the Golden League and I have found the level of play to be pretty similar. The one edge I would give to the Can-Am league is in pitching, particularly the starters. Other than that, baseball is baseball, you get some hits, make some plays, go home and go to sleep, then get up and do it all over again.

2009-06-30T11:56:00.002-04:00

During the past week there has not been too much to report on but there are a few events that deserve mentioning. The first has to do with our former first baseman, Clyde Williams, who was sold to league rival, Brockton. Clyde had gotten off to a slow start from a batting average stand point despite hitting 5 home runs for us. We had a 4 day, 5 game series against Clyde and new 'mates over the weekend. I have never been traded or sold, but I am guessing that Clyde was hoping to personally destroy us. He didn't exactly destroy us, but he did hit 2 homers in the final game of the series to help Brockton to a lopsided win. His big moment came in the at-bat prior to his 2nd homer when he fisted a base hit up the middle....it was his 1,000th career hit. AMAZING!! Clyde signed as 18 year old kid and has played 11 minor league seasons, progressing as high as AAA. It is a great testament to his longevity and work ethic to have reached this rediculous milestone. He has collected hits in just about every minor league city across America and although they stood in applause in Brockton, very few of those fans will be able to comprehend what Clyde has been able to do. Just to PLAY for that long is impressive, but he has not just played, he has made a living accomplishing sport's most difficult skill, hitting a baseball. This may be the only bit of Press his 1000th hit receives but it needs to be recognized, well done, Clyde.

The second news-worthy event will answer your, "why is there a picture of Eric Gagne on your blog" question. Just a bit of background....Gagne was baseball's most feared closer several years ago with the Dodgers. He won a Cy Young award and at one point converted 84 straight save opportunities. His streak made headlines everywhere. He spent time with the Red Sox and the Brewers before being released this spring. Rumor is that he was a big time steroids user and that once he stopped taking them, the injuries started and his career took a nose dive. Regardless of his past, he is presently pitching for the Quebec Le Capitales of the Can-Am League and he and his Caps squad rolled into Nashua last night for a 3 game series. There were rumors that he was going to pitch, then that he wasn't, then that he was and sure enough when we got to the park Monday, Eric Gagne was slated to start for Quebec. After 3 quick outs in the top of the first inning, I prepared to lead off against this man who had once captivated the nation with his amazing streak of saves and had once made big league hitters look childish while trying to hit his 95 MPH fastball and looney tunes change up. The whole time I was trying to approach it like "just another at-bat" but when I got in the box and looked out at the mound I said to myself, "@#$*, that's Eric Gagne". There wasn't much time for being star struck as Gagne zipped the first pitch in for a strike. His velocity is not what it once was, but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in command. Nowa-days he features a cutter, 2-seamer, change up and slider. He missed with a 2-seamer and the count was 1-1. The very next pitch, he threw that once-devastating change up and sure enough, I lined it into right field for a base hit.....Gagne 0 Lemon 1!! I would go on to get one more hit off of Gagne as we touched him up for 9 runs. Clearly, he is not the Gagne of old, but it was still a thrill to stand in and stare down a guy who had once performed on baseball's biggest stage. The game was shortened due to rain so we were able to get off work a little early last night. Since we were leading in the 7th inning when the rains came, we technically won the game. The home stand continues with two more games against the Caps followed by three with Sussex.

A Road Trip and a Makeover

2009-06-23T11:16:00.003-04:00

The wireless Internet access at our hotel in East Hanover, NJ was poor at best so I was unable to give real time updates of the road trip. In terms of wins and losses, it was not a great trip for my Defenders squad. We got off to a fast start with wins on back to back nights in Sussex but then faltered, losing the final four games of the trip. The low point was a Father's Day double header at Yogi Berra Stadium, home of the league leading New Jersey Jackals. On the day I think we only managed four or five hits as a team and scored only one or two runs....not exactly the type of support our pitchers hope for. The weather for the entire trip was miserable, that's all I will say about it for now but the topic of weather will be revisited later in this issue.

The second game in Sussex was a tough night for your author and it marked the first time I have ever had to remove myself from a game due to an injury. It was the bottom on the first inning and the game felt about as normal as could be. There was nobody out and a runner, Jorge Moreno, on first base. The batter sent a grounder up he middle which our second baseman dove to field. Boomer was able to glove the ball but didn't field it cleanly and his momentary bobble allowed Jorge to gather more speed as he prepared for his slide. Boomer flipped me the ball and then the next thing I felt was the knee of a very large, very fast man slam into my quad. I sort of flipped over the runner in an attempt to avoid further contact but as I gathered myself it was clear that I wouldn't be in the game much longer. I stayed in for the remainder of the inning but had to be removed from the game once i hobbled back into the dugout. Now, I do not necessarily know if what the runner did should qualify as a "dirty" play. Usually when trying to break up double plays, guys keep their slides low. It is sort of an unwritten rule that you shouldn't be trying to hit an infielder in the knee, which this runner certainly seemed to be trying to do. As an infielder, I know that it is my job to protect myself and that sometimes contact is going to happen at the bag but something about this particular play rubbed me the wrong way, literally. I guess my real problem with the whole thing was that immediately after the play Moreno gets up and says, "esta bien papi?" ("you ok man" basically). This is a trend that truly annoys me. A guy comes in and puts his knee on mine and wants to know if I'm ok. I just don't think you can have it both ways....if you want me to be ok, don't try to end my career by sliding high. If you don't want me to be ok, that's fine, just make your slide and get off the field. Anyway, the collision at second made me miss the remainder of the game and the next two as well. A rain out gave me an extra day to treat the injury and I was able to play again on Father's Day which was fortunate because my parents had been in New Jersey watching me gimp around for 3 days. I was glad to be able to play while they were still in attendance. Now that I have returned to playing I couldn't help but wonder how many times someone like Cal Ripken got taken out like I did during his unheard of streak of consecutive games. Just another reason why that it is the greatest record in the entire history of organized sports.

After the injury and the rain and the losing we finally returned home to Nashua but not before a very interesting ride home. The thought of long, crazy bus rides cause ball players to cringe or to wake up in a cold sweat and this one was one for the books. I have had some long ones....13 hours from St. George, UT to Chico, CA and I have had some crazy ones....breakdown in St. Mary's County, Maryland in the middle of the night but the ride home from Jersey will be seared into my memory for a long while. For starters let's have a brief geography lesson. As we all know, New Hampshire is undoubtedly NORTH of New Jersey, correct?? Good, so it would make sense that upon leaving New Jersey, NORTH would be good choice of direction if the choices were between north or south, agreed?? Glad you are following. Well, apparently our fearless bus driver wasn't able to make these deductions and so we left Yogi Berra stadium and started heading for Newark, NJ which is SOUTH of our intended destination. I don't want to completely throw the guy under the figurative "bus", because those guys have tough jobs but I just have to mention one other part of the story. During the 30 minutes he was taking us on a field trip through central Jersey, his GPS (which, as you may be aware, are fairly reliable) was telling him to turn around and drive the opposite direction. He, of course, ignored the Voice's commands and it wasn't until we saw a sign welcoming us to Newark, NJ that he changed our course and started the trek north. The highway still wouldn't yield to our driver's wishes because once he got us pointed the right direction, he steered us right into Sunday evening New York City traffic which cost us more time. The best part was that he allegedly said, "I couldn't figure out why the GPS kept telling me to turn around", when we were basically driving towards Miami. All told, he found a way to turn a 4 hour drive into a 6 hour drive but as they always do, he got us home.

On Monday we hosted the Sussex Skyhawks who were making their first trip to Nashua this season. It was another rainy day and the forecast predicted that the rain would be continuing all night. This now brings me to the re-visitation of weather and the role it can play in the outcome of a baseball game. Aside from all of the adverse physical conditions rain causes (wet ball, wet mound, tough footing, etc) I think its most lasting impact on the game occurs in the psyche of players. This is a bit of an abstract concept and I am having a hard time putting my finger on it. Basically, when you wake up and see sun shining, birds chirping, etc, you start the day KNOWING you will have your game and you prepare mentally accordingly. However, when you sit around the house and the club house watching rain all day, it creates a very different mental approach. You are almost expecting the game to be called and then when the game is on, you have to flip a switch and get ready to play. I know that we should not allow ourselves this type of mental lapse but I think it happens sometimes. The best "real world" example I can think of is when you have a test at school but there is 3 inches of snow forecasted for test day. What do you do?? The easy answer is, "you study and if school gets cancelled, no harm done" but we have all been in that situation, who really wants to study the night before a possible snow day? That being said, the other team has to deal with the same conditions and recently the other teams have been winning under those conditions when they play us. Bottom line, we need to prepare to win every night, come hell or high water. Everyone always talks about "the will to win" well I think the "will to prepare to win" is even more important. A lot of times I think I would like to wear those blinders that they give to race horses, it allows them to see only one thing, the track in front of them. They don't see the distractions and they run the race.

Finally, the Defenders got a bit of a personnel makeover yesterday. The contract of veteran first baseman Clyde Williams was sold to the Brockton Rox and utility infielder and former Green Beret, Chris Weakley was released. This now leaves us with nine position players but I'm sure replacements are on the way. We did acquire a pitcher, a guy who actually served in the Marines and was awarded the purple heart in Iraq. It is always tough to see guys you know and like get shipped out but that is the business. The home stand continues, as do the horrid weather conditions. Can someone order me those blinders??

2009-06-15T18:25:00.002-04:00

Since you last heard from me, it was June 9th and the Defenders were about to start a five game home stand. We left off hoping for some wins after enduring a five game losing streak in early June. The home stand got off to an incredible start as we beat the Brockton Rox 8-7. That last sentence doesn't quite do justice to what transpired during that first game. I don't want to overwhelm you with all of the details all at once so I will take it slow. For starters, we won the game on a walk-off home run by our veteran first baseman Clyde Williams. Clyde took an 0-2 offering and hit it into the night over the right field fence. So, that's pretty fun, a walk off homer. What's even more amazing was that Clyde's home run came in the bottom of the 14th inning. So, to recap, bottom of the 14th, tie game, 0-2 count, 2 outs....walk off homer. Needless to say the Defenders and the 11 fans still in attendance went crazy. The game lasted so long that fans started chanting, "one more inning, one more inning" after we failed to score in the 12th and 13th. It was the longest game and the most thrilling finish I have ever been a part of.

The next night did not provide the offensive excitement of the previous evening but there was a spectacular performance on display. Our starter, Mark Romanczuk, pitched 7 innings surrendering just 2 hits en route to a 3-1 win for the good guys. It was, by far, the best performance turned in by a Defender twirler to date and hopefully the first of many more to come for our lefty from the 302. With that win, our winning streak was extended to four but the streak, like all good things, would soon come to end.

Friday night the Worcester Tornadoes came to town and handed us a 3-1 defeat to snap our four game winning streak. What we failed to provide the fans was some offensive FIRE power but they were treated to a post game fireworks show, so everyone went home happy. Fireworks games are always interesting because there is nothing that could happen on the field that would cause fans to leave the game. We could be getting beat 26-0, but the fans will stay put to see the fireworks. In St. George we even had some ingenious fans who would show up in the 8th or 9th inning, which of course would spare them the agony of having to watch us play, but allowed them to enjoy the fireworks show. On Saturday evening we got back into the win column with a lopsided 7-1 over Worcester. Sunday night we ended the home stand with a 9-6 loss to those same Tornadoes. For the home stand we went 3-2 and despite having a record that currently puts us in last place, we are only 2.5 games out of first.

As I'm sitting here reading these paragraphs it seems that they aren't quite as interesting as some of the initial posts. I think the reason for this is that we are now into the grind of the season. One of the things I like about a baseball season is the routine that comes with it. I like knowing exactly what I will do everyday. Here is a day in the life for Greg Lemon.....wake up usually by 10am and head downstairs for breakfast. Breakfast is generally cereal with banana in it, bagel and orange juice. At this time I like to read the paper and see what the local sportswriters are saying about the Defenders. After breakfast I read and watch tv for a few hours before working out. After the workout, it's some down time followed by my 20 minute drive to the field. I usually stop for a sandwich at a place like Subway before heading to the clubhouse. We generally stretch at 3:15pm for a 6:35pm game, and it's batting practice, some more down time in the clubhouse (usually spent playing wii or playing cards) then on the field again at 6:00pm to get ready to play. The game lasts until at 9:30pm at which point it's back to the clubhouse, eat dinner, and drive home. Once at home I try to unwind by reading or surfing the Internet, then it's bedtime and in a few hours I'll do it all again. A lot of my down time is spent reading (or writing this blog) and I think all the guys have something that they do to pass those long hours when we aren't at the field. For some guys it's golf, some fish, some work day jobs, some sleep and some watch movies. The point is that you can't be ALL baseball all the time, it's too much time, you'll go insane. There has to be some release, some other area of entertainment or enjoyment. Right now I'm currently reading a book which was given to me for my birthday and coincidentally it is set in New Hampshire. I think reading this fictional tale allows me to completely detach myself from whatever struggles or successes I might be having on the ball field and focus on something different. Like I said, if you are all baseball all the time, you'll lose your mind. I mean, how many of you think about your job ALL the time?? My point exactly...

Tomorrow we leave for our first REAL road trip of the season. We play 6 games in New Jersey, 3 against Sussex and 3 against the New Jersey Jackals. My next update will be from a hotel room in Jersey, until then, thanks for following.

Blogger's note: One of my most faithful followers asked for a picture of yours truly sporting his new haircut and beardlessness so here it is. This picture, along with other team info can be found at www.americandefenders.us

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains

2009-06-09T16:20:00.002-04:00

When we last left off, the Defenders had lost 2 games at the hands of our cross town rivals, the Brockton Rox. Our pseudo road trip continued with a four game set in Worcester (pronounced woostah), Mass. Worcester plays on the campus of Holy Cross College at a very nice ball park situated directly underneath a highway which reminded me a little bit of Frawley Stadium.

The first two nights in Worcester were rather uneventful if you are a Defenders fan. In game one the Tornadoes' offensive gave the opening night crowd more than their monies worth beating us A LOT to A LITTLE. Game two of the series was looking like another lopsided win for the Tornadoes when suddenly the Defenders came to life. We went into the top of the 9th trailing 9-1 and had not given any indication that we would put up much of a fight. We made quite a rally in the final frame and I found myself up to bat with the bases loaded, one out and the score 9-6. The interesting thing about this at bat was that I had collected base hits in my previous four but what we needed was for me to get five - no easy task. Worcester had brought their closer into the game so this was shaping up to be an epic battle. I grounded the 1-1 pitch up the middle and for a split second it looked as if it might sneak through for a hit....until the pitcher snagged it. He threw home for the force (2 outs) but his catcher's throw to first sailed high and went all the way into the right field corner. Our 7th and 8th runs score on the play and I'm flying around the bases thinking I might be able to tie the game but was rightly held at 3rd base. Now the score was 9-8, 2 outs, tying run on third. The next batter made an out and our desperate rally was over. It is always a bit demoralizing to make that type of come back only to see it fall short but it confirms the age old adage about the game that says, as long as you keep hitting, keep scoring, your rally can defy time itself. That night we left Worcester in disappointment but there was a feeling among the players in the locker room that we might be able to turn the series around the next day. Despite the loss, the impossible rally had given us hope for the next day.

Sure enough, the next day came. I want to mention the date here- it was June 6th which as we all know marked the 65th Anniversary of Allied armed forces storming the beaches at Normandy. The invasion was largely led by American troops and directly led to the fall of the German strong hold in Europe. I only mention this lesson in history because I KNEW there was no way the AMERICAN DEFENDERS were going to lose on D-DAY. We have shaved our beards, cut our hair, worn camouflage, endured 9:11 delays all in the name of honoring the American Military....something had to give. D-Day was a day when I thought, "if not now, when". Sure enough, when the smoke cleared that evening we had won and it was hard not to wonder if there was some patriotic karma involved. There wasn't much time to celebrate the end of our losing streak however. In less than 12 hours we were back on the bus heading to Worcester for a 2:05pm start Sunday afternoon. On this day it was timely hitting and quality starting pitching, rather than historical hyjinx that allowed us to prevail. After two tough losses we were able to get out of town with a split. Well done Defenders.

On June 8th we had reached a crucial point in the season, our first off day. That's right fans, since arriving in Nashua May 19th, we finally got a day off from work. What do you guys do? Five days in a row?? Must be tough!! HAHAHA Try 20 and come talk to me. I know, I know, we aren't doing anything nearly as strenuous as sitting at a desk and typing but 20 days straight of playing can take a toll on even the toughest ball players. Hey, at least we get properly compensated....we figured out today that most of us probably make somewhere around $2.00 or $3.00 dollars an hour. On top of that we receive $18 a day for meal money when on the road. However, with the trips to Brockton and Worcester being commuter trips, we only get $9. Then, we have to pay the clubhouse manager $2 for each day at their ball park. So, that 18 becomes 16 and the 9 becomes 7. Jealous?? Anyway, my main off day activities are done indoors, usually on a large piece of furniture with either a book or remote control in my hand and this one was no different. The last thing I want to do is anything related to baseball but I will watch something like Sportscenter on tv. I have come to believe that every once in a while the best thing to do is nothing at all.

Following the off day we were scheduled to play a 10:30am game at Brockton. This game was some type of promotional effort with the local schools to drum up support for the Rox. Needless to say, not too many guys in pro ball are wild about morning games. It throws off the schedule, the preparation is different and let's face it, we like to sleep in! Sleep deprived and cranky, at 8am we departed the Holman Stadium parking lot and steered towards Brockton. When we got there we received word that all of the schools had cancelled due to the impending weather. So a crowd of several thousand quickly turned to a crowd of several. As Tripp Keister pointed out, "the fans today will be disguised as green and red seats". The icing on the cake was when we were told that the game was cancelled due to rain and would be made up at a later date - wonderful! So we re-boarded the bus and made our way back to Nashua. All in all it was about a five hour workday, HEY! I made $10.00!! Our record is now 4-7 and starting tomorrow we have a 5 game home stand at the friendly confines of Holman Ball Yard. Let's hope for a few in the win column.

Blogger's note - thanks for all your comments. We might have to get a panel of experts to figure out the "best SMH baseball team" debate. I had no idea it would spark such a controversy.

Beat Down in Brockton

2009-06-04T11:47:00.003-04:00

If we are the Defenders of New Hampshire, then I guess you could say that for the last two nights we have gone on an offensive into enemy territory. Our advances were pushed back both nights and we limped back to our base of operations via coach bus. Game 1 in Brockton was a heartbreaking 4-3 loss. Our pitching and defense epitomized "bend but don't break" and our offense was able to do just enough to keep us in the game. The game was knotted at three in the bottom of the 9th and the Brockton fans were being whipped into a frenzy by the scenes of inspirational movie moments being shown on the jumbotron. It was actually very well done by whoever spliced all of the scenes and lines together. Although they used scenes from about 20 different movies, the lines all fit together into one gigantic inspirational speech. The Rox must have enjoyed it as well because after 3 short plate appearances (base hit, base hit, base hit) the game was over. One interesting side note for the Defenders....tonight featured the first plate appearance of our very own Roy Hobbs, also known as Rob Riley. Hobbs was played by Robert Redford in "The Natural" and was this great ball player who started as a pitcher but an injury forced him convert to hitting and he flat out dominated the game. Well, Riley is our Hobbs. He is primarily a left handed pitcher but can also play the outfield. Since a two-way player in pro ball is basically unheard of, I gave him the nickname "Roy Hobbs". Our Roy actually got his first pro hit in his second at-bat. It wasn't quite the light tower shot of his namesake, but a hit is a hit.

In game two Brockton caught us off guard and defeated us using the "divide and conquer" method of battle tactics. They divided us by routing both our offensive and pitching efforts. We scored 5 early and the game had all the makings of a win. Then in the top of the 6th, they exploded for 9 runs and we could only manage one run after the second inning. The final score, THEM 15 US 6. The biggest news out of game two was that our organization made a change and relieved our general manager of his duties. Former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette has taken over as president and general manager. The personnel moves made by the organization early on have made one thing very clear - everyone's job is on the line and they want people in place that are going to get the job done, whether it be as a player or a member of team management. The good news is that Duquette has 14 years experience at the game's highest levels, it can never be a bad thing to have a guy like him running the show.

In amateur baseball news, the St. Mark's Spartans (aka the evil empire!) have won yet another Delaware state baseball title. Let me see if I can list all of these 85, 88, 94, 97, 99, 03, 04, 05, 07 and 09. It is a true dynasty and one that I will always feel very much connected to no matter how far I may stray from the hill top guard rail. A large majority of my early baseball memories have to do with St. Mark's baseball. In fact, I think it safe to say that it was that program that truly laid the groundwork for my approach to the game of baseball. Just like Ray Kinsella in "Field of Dreams", instead of mother goose, I was put to bed by stories about Simmons, Lynch, Wallace, Nichols, Mench and August. In fact there is one player, Mark Zych, who will probably never read this and he will also probably never know that HE is responsible for the relentless hustle which has become a trademark of my game. You see, Mark Zych was not nearly the best player on the 1994 team but what I remember about him was that anywhere he went, he ran there. I was too young to understand it then but I now realize that it takes NO talent to hustle and you can ALWAYS control your effort. I remember watching games on the hill as a youngster waiting for the day when I would play the games that shaped the tradition of the program. I remember the 88 title game, not very well, but I remember being there. I remember 94 when a pitcher, Brad Silcox, made a miraculous catch in left field to save the quarterfinal game against some downstate team (the head coach pulled off one of the gutsiest moves I have ever heard of in that game, intentionally walking a batter with the bases loaded - yes, you read that right). That was the year of arguably the best Spartan team ever, with 3 draft picks (August, Nichols, Borkowski) and a future big leaguer, Kevin Mench. I recall the 97 team because it was dad's last year at the helm and they sent him out a winner. I recall Smitty's first in 99 and I know all to well the heartbreak associated with the 01 and 02 seasons when, in my biased opinion, two of the most physically talented Spartan teams in recent history failed to raise a banner. I remember being proud to see my brother pile on his teammates in 03 and I also remember the pain associated with thinking about him watching the 04 title game from outside the gates of Frawley after an umpire ejected him in the semi's. The 2009 season belongs to a group of Spartan players who probably have little idea how they fit into the larger history of that program but one thing is for certain, anyone who has worn that green and gold has been able to achieve great things because of all those that came before and I am so proud to have made a contribution, no matter how minuscule, to that legacy. The names have changed and there are dugouts and a fence around the outfield now but the story is the same, St. Mark's, State Champs!!

Finally, I have noticed that my following has increased to 12 members. I also have received various words of encouragement from several readers and for that I want to thank you all. I never really knew if anyone was going to read this thing but I have been thinking, "if people are reading, why not give them some say in what is posted?" Therefore, if anyone ever has anything that they would specifically like to hear about in the form of my blogging, please feel free to attach a comment with your query and I will respond to it in my next posting. I only ask you to remember one thing that I'm sure was mentioned to you by a teacher at some point, "there are NO such thing as bad questions".

Clouds Over Nashua (literal as well as figurative)

2009-06-01T23:55:00.004-04:00

After giving us near perfect conditions for all of pre game batting practice, the weather turned ominously cloudy by game time. Would the weather be a metaphor for how the game would go for the Defenders??? Read on to find out..... It was a strange game. We led 1-0 into the top of the fourth (aka sunshine) when our starting pitcher had to be removed from the game due to shortness of breath. When that occurs the relief pitcher is given as much time as is needed to warm up but I have this feeling that the pitchers always feel some obligation to rush through their warm-up routine. I am unsure if that was the case tonight but regardless the Rox put a few runs on the board and we were behind 6-1 (clouds). They removed their starter from the game after giving he gave his team 6 innings of 1 run ball and we quickly greeted the reliever with 3 runs making the score 6-4 after 7 innings played. They failed to score in the 8th and we pushed one across making the score 6-5 going into the 9th inning. It really felt like we had some good momentum going. Our pitcher, Keith Renaud, was in a good groove and despite giving up a leadoff single in the top of the 9th, all signs indicated that he would pitch out of the inning and turn it over to the offense for a thrilling walk off win. Then a very unusual event took place, the time became 9:11pm. Now, you may be sitting there asking yourself, "what is so unusual about that? It turns 9:11pm every day. What effect could that specific time have on a ball game?" The answer is that for the first time this season it was decided that we pause the game at 9:11pm to have a moment of silence with Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" playing to remember the events of September 11, 2001. I do not want to appear to be unsympathetic when it comes to the memory of that day because I watched the events unfold and was horrified like everyone else. My only issue here is disrupting the flow of the game to put on another random display of patriotism. I think it would have been better to have this delay before the inning started. I doubt very few of the 33 fans still in attendance would have complained if we paused at 9:08 and just said it was 9:11. Who knows if it truly affected the game but it just may have. You can decide for yourself but the Rox scored one more run and we failed to counter in the bottom of the frame giving us our third loss of the season. Final score THEM 7 US 5.

As if the loss wasn't tough enough, we learned that our starting catcher quit the team before the game. I did not hear the story from him but here is what I know....He and his fiance drove from Texas to Nashua and, like all of us, were promised travel expense reimbursement. The money wasn't given to them when they arrived but they were told they would receive it soon. So they waited. In the meantime, the player played and the player's fiance went to work in the team office and helped with game day operations as a VOLUNTEER. So apparently yesterday the player was given a travel check (amount unknown) but upon trying to cash it he was told that the check had bounced. Upon questioning a member of the team's front office regarding the bounced check, he felt he was being "talked down to" and treated like the whole situation was somehow HIS fault so he packed his locker and quit. Although I find his actions a little on the extreme side, I find the whole situation pretty disturbing. For the one thing, we lost a good catcher and a good guy. Secondly, regardless of the amount of money the check was for, it was written from a team account. This is possibly the same account that will be used to pay the salaries of 22 guys planning on getting pay checks. Now if they can't cover a travel check, what are the chances they can shell out a few grand in pay checks? As of this very moment I am unsure of his whereabouts. I guess it is possible he is already on his way back to Texas and will not be coming back. There is a chance that he may return to the team if given his travel money but it seems unlikely.

Side note to this story - we did not get paid for our services during the time we served during the month of May. Now we technically only worked 4 days in May (28-31) and that small amount may be added to our first June check but I do not think that is how salaries are paid in the real world. Strangely, in my experience, this whole not paying people business is fairly common in independent baseball. In St. George we were hardly ever paid on time and in one extreme case of tight wad, our manager actually left the field without giving the paychecks out following a late inning loss. This of course creates the impression that you will be paid when you win which is not the player/management labor agreement at all. You might be saying, "oh you poor thing. Not getting paid on time for playing baseball games, what a tough life you have" and I understand why you might think that. However, I believe that an organization's number one priority should be the treatment of players. I know they need fans in the seats and concessions to be sold and the whole thing, but you can't do any of that without players. I have never heard of fans streaming through the turnstiles to sit and look at a vacant baseball field. I think sometimes people forget that without PLAYERS you can't have a team and players want to play for teams that treat players fairly. I would be willing to bet there is a direct correlation between the teams that have success (on the field and on the books) and teams that treat their players well.

Anyway, enough about all this business stuff. My job is to catch the ball and throw it to first, to get on base and score runs. I don't get paid to speculate about the front office aspects of my team so that is all I will say on this topic for now. I only mention it to provide you with a glimpse into some of the other issues that we face on a daily basis. There are times when laying off a 1-2 slider isn't the hardest part of the day. All of that being said, don't feel too bad for me and my fellow Defenders, we are living a life that to most people will only ever be a dream.

Series Wrap Up

2009-06-01T13:16:00.002-04:00

The Defenders were able to split the opening series of the season with a 15-something defeat of the New Jersey Jackals. The offense really came alive and starter Nick Asselin gave us five great innings and Rob Riley got a four inning save, the first of his pro career.

Before the game we had all of the pregame festivities one would normally associate with opening day. About a hundred little leaguers walked around the field before the game. I'm not really sure what the point of the walk around the field is, but they seem to enjoy it here in Nashua. They also had a ceremony to honor some of the Nashua area sports "legends". The plan is to make the sports legends ceremony a annual event with the honorees being enshrined in the form of granite (NH is the GRANITE state by the way) plaque which will be displayed in front of the ball park. We also had an extensive national anthem ceremony which included the anthem itself as well as some military bugle favorites, "reveille" and "taps". I think the only bugle tune that was left out was the "call to post" familiar to horse racing fans. I shouldn't complain though, it may have been that rousing reveille that brought our bats to life on this night.

One other event of note from Sunday's game was the unfortunate drop in temperature as the game wore on. I think it was in the 70s when we started at 5:20pm and by the time the game ended a few hours later I believe it was about 50. It was windy and cold and annoying. Of course, during the worst of the temperature decline, the Jackals offense decides to show up and starts hitting everything thrown at them. We were finally able to pitch out of the inning and we headed to the clubhouse with a 2-2 record under our belts. In other exciting news, no players had any equipment stolen following the game...perhaps any would be theives were deterred by the fact that we began the game in prayer and they didn't want to offend any higher beings. Doubtful, but we can hope.

2009-05-30T22:38:00.002-04:00

Opening Day

The News Headlines read, "Defenders Off to a Slow Start" following a 10-0 loss at the hands of the New Jersey Jackals Friday night. While I personally wouldn't call losing the first game of the year a "slow start", I will admit that it was not the result we had hoped for. The Jackals had a 1-0 lead going into the top of the 3rd and then proceeded to hang a 5 spot on the board and that would be all of the support their endless array of lefties would need. Offensively we never really threatened and they tacked on a few insurance runs late in the game. The opening day highlight for me was playing behind a former high school teammate in a professional game. Seven years removed from our final game at St. Mark's (a 7-2 loss to Brandywine in the state semi's 2002), Mark Romanczuk and I are once again wearing the same uniform. I don't think two guys could have taken more different paths to arrive at the same point, but here we are. I always had a feeling that we would either play with or against each other at some point again, I just was unsure of where and when. I just hope that we both can match the success we had with the Spartans this season with the Defenders.

May 30th

Anyone who closely follows baseball knows that most double headers end in a split and ours tonight was no different. We took game one 4-2 and were defeated in game two by a score of 10-6 or something like that. It would have been a much larger margin in game two if it weren't for Chris Weakley's grand slam (his first pro hit!). Game one was a well pitched, well played game by both sides. We used our former big leaguer, Juan Padilla, to close the game and he did not disappoint. He struck out the first two hitters he faced and then induced a routine grounder to 2nd to give us our first win of the year. In game two, the Jackals jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. On a personal note, I was able to get the first base hit of the season under my belt. I had some good swing previously, just couldn't find the holes but in my first at-bat in game 2, I lined a 1-1 fastball up the middle. I also played my first game of the year in left field. Last year I got my first taste of playing out in the pasture for the Roadrunners and now it appears on my baseball resume as another position I can play. The coaches here have said that I am going to play out there every once and while which is fine with me because it allows me to stay in the line up.

Playing outfield tonight leads me to one bit of unfortunate news. After the game I was signing autographs and catching up with an old college teammate who lives nearby when I noticed that my outfield glove was no longer where I had put it. I had it on the dugout railing rather than holding on to it while signing and apparently some kid walked off with it. This is pretty upsetting. Not just because I lost a good glove, but mainly because some kid (who I probably signed for) stole it. The organization invites fans to come down onto the field after the game to get autographs and be around the players - which is fine. I love signing and meeting some fans but I think stealing players' equipment is taking the privilege a little too far. What is the expression?? Give them an inch and they'll take a mile...case and point tonight. I guess that is what I get for being a good guy and staying after the game to sign for a few kids. They all come down and all they really want are bats and balls and now apparently gloves. I don't know who the first player to give a child a broken bat was but he opened quite a Pandora's box when he did so. Perhaps the most disturbing element of this heist is that it is very possible that a kid got into his mom's minivan proudly displaying a glove that was not his and as of yet, the parent has not intervened to returned it. The kid of course, when asked, would lie and say, "the player gave it to me" and if the parent falls for that one, my only advice to that parent would be to purchase a polygraph machine for when the kid reaches the ages of 13-18. The resolution of this will likely be me getting a new OF glove from our sponsor, Nokona, and the kids no longer being allowed to get close to the dugout after the game. Secretly I'm hoping that the youngster returns to scene of the crime with the stolen glove so he can feel the wrath of Chris Hall, our GM.

Tomorrow we play the Jackals in the final game of this four game series and it would be nice to send them home with an L to think about. Judging from what we have seen thus far, my guess is that they will throw a lefty....they have a million of them. It's no problem really, they still have to throw it over the plate. 12:30pm stretch tomorrow so I'm going to call it a night. 'Til next time...

Hurry Up and Wait

2009-05-28T18:31:00.003-04:00

Anyone associated with outdoor athletics who hails from the northeast region of the country knows that the weather is NOT something you can control. The American Defenders have fallen victim to the weather and have had to postpone opening day due to rain. After all of the preparations, on the field and off it, everyone will have to wait one more day to see this great experiment as our general manager has called it. This of course is the worst nightmare of the front office people, having the game cancelled. They have arranged for all sorts of pre-game festivities including a one inning T-ball game, a visit from the mayor and the Governor among various and sundry displays of patriotism. Although I have not heard, I assume that these festivities will be carried out at some point during this first weekend home stand. I just hope they don't last as long and are executed more smoothly than the Memorial Day ceremonies. So tomorrow we will do it all over again and with some cooperation from mother nature, we will be able to get the season started.

An Open Invitation

2009-05-27T18:18:00.003-04:00

Today was the final day of spring training and while we had planned on having an on-field workout, the weather conditions had other plans. When I stepped out of the house I was greeted by a rainy 48 degree morning. Just lovely....this may be the one of the few places on Earth where one day you'll be playing in perfect conditions and the next you'll have no interest in being outdoors for any purpose. The day's workout was moved to Extra Innings, a very well conceived indoor facility on the outskirts of town. The goal of the day was to "get locked in" before opening day. After the workout we had a team meeting where we learned that our pitching coach was let go and replaced by what is being referred to as a "roving pitching instructor". There is a veil of secrecy over the circumstances of this move but from what I could tell it did not seem well received by certain members of the staff. This is a common theme among independent league ball clubs....There are certain personnel decisions made and no one ever hears anything specific about them. One day someone's locker is empty, a coach doesn't show up or whatever the case and you just go about your business like nothing happened. One thing you never forget as an independent league ball player is that your job is ALWAYS on the line and that EVERYONE is replaceable. The best advice I ever received regarding this phenomenon was to approach every day like a tryout. There aren't any jobs that I can quickly think of that have this level of NON-job security.

Now that we have spring training behind us it is finally time to get into the routine of the regular season schedule. Routine is something us ball players truly cherish. It is very comforting to know that you will be doing the same thing, at the same time for the next three months. Aside from the baseball related preparations for opening day, there have been a few other preparations made by members of the Defenders. Most of them are due to the relationship our team has with the US Military All-Stars. While no one is quite certain what the exact nature of this relationship is, one thing has been made very clear, personal appearance is one of, if not their only priority this season. Everyone must have short hair and be clean shaven all of the time. For those of you who know me personally you know this news has not exactly been embraced with open arms by yours truly. All argumentation and objection aside, I have complied with these rules and am excited to be a part of this organization. One thing I can't help but wonder is that if our ownership was asked to choose between winning a championship with long haired, beard wearing hooligans (like I USED to be) or finish last with a team full of guys who appear to be heading to Camp Lejune, which would they choose?? For now, we'll leave that one as a hypothetical question for you all to ponder.

In less than 24 hours I will take the field in an official, meaningful game for the first time since last August. After months of training, it is finally for real. With this comes the usual nervous, anxious feelings about starting a season. There are so many questions and the answers all seem to be in the very distant future. I always wish that I had a crystal ball and could look about 3 months into the future to find out what will transpire but in the meantime I will be taking them one game at a time. I cordially invite you to experience this journey with me. Warning -It will be filled with ups and downs, home runs and strike outs, good, bad and ugly but my goal throughout will be the same....to provide an in-depth account of the rigours of a minor league baseball season and to also shed light on some things that most probably don't know about this strange life we have chosen (or did it choose us, who knows?).

You Know the Time is Now

2009-05-25T21:10:00.004-04:00

First of all, my apologies to any of you who may have been eagerly awaiting a 2nd "DROP" from this Lemon. Since I last blogged to you all I have spent several days at a rugged camp outpost with no wireless internet access and then upon arriving in Nashua I was striken with a computer virus which has now been remedied. So let's see, where to begin....

After an uneventful drive north, I found my way to what is known as the "Dan Douquette Sports Academy". You may be envisioning pristine fields, immaculate facilities, an all around wonderful experience...let me assure you, it was not. The "academy" is actually an old, run-down christian camp retreat yet what you will now find there seems like something devised by Satan himself. Me and my new teammates ALL shared a common room with about 15 sets of bunk beds. The room came complete with your choice of bunk bed matress or collapsed couch(I actually choose the latter). Most nights were spent tossing and turning and most morning were spent walking off stiffness of the neck and low back. Despite the adverse living conditions, the camp was equipped with what I would consider an above average mess hall and all the baseball you could handle. We practiced during the day and played night games at Historic Waconah Park (built 1892) in downtown Pittsfield, Mass. The most unique experience of this trip, aside from the military style living arrangement, had to be the sun delays at Waconah. Yes, you read that correctly, sun delays. I can now say I have had games delayed by rain, snow, hail and believe it or not, sun. That darn, pesky sun sets every night and wouldn't you know it, it sets right in the batter's face. So EVERY night at Waconah, expect a 40-50 minute sun delay. During the sun delays we were treated to an unorganized game of T-ball played by the youth of Pittsfield and if you are lucky, you'll get to see 35+ year old men reliving their glory days on the ball field by chasing down and tagging out 7 year old girls. It was truly something I will never forget.

After a few days at camp we left to return to the safe confines of Nashua, NH. First order of business...take a shower in an actual bathroom. Once this task was completed I got settled at the host-family's home in picturesque Amherst, NH and spent the remainder of the off day recovering from my camp experience. My host "parents" Gil and Marlene Hulme are very nice. They have five grandkids and are avid Boston Red Sox fans. They actually remind me a lot of my grandmom and grandad, so I have felt very much at home here. Their house comes with a few features I am not accustomed to, most notably a brook with a small row boat. I am not one for adventure on the high seas but I think I may be able to master this body of water. My first time at the brook, I saw 2 ducks and 1 turtle, a far cry from the stray cats and dogs you encounter on the streets of Philadelphia. Another comfort of home I was not expecting is that I am rooming here with Mark Romanczuk (SMH class of 2002). As some of you may recall Mark attended Stanford University and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005. After some unfortunate injuries, Mark finds himself on the indy-ball circuit trying , like all of us, to get a shot at the affiliated minor leagues again. Mark and I were constant workout partners in high school and throughout the off-season months in college. While I wish he was still with the D-backs, it is great to be playing with him again after a 7 year hiatus.

We have been in Nashua since Thursday and have been hard at work prepping for the season. A sad part of that preparation is the cutting or releasing of players. We have let several guys go and it is never fun seeing a guy pack up his locker. These moments all start the same way. The player arrives at the ball park ready for the day's workout. He has likely spent months preparing for this season and essentially years preparing for the chance to be called a professional. Then a coach or clubbie (equipment manager) says the five worst words you could hear, "skip wants to see you". Now, in pro ball, there are rarely times when the manager, or skipper, calls anyone into the office for a reason other than to cut them. Once you have been summoned, your fate is all but sealed. It usually goes like this, "this is the worst part of my job.....there's is no easy way to do this.....we have a tight roster.....blah blah blah". Bottom line is, you got cut. For most guys, this is the first time in their lives they have been told that they weren't good enough to play for a team and it is a bit shocking. The worst part is having to return to the clubhouse and pack your things with all of your former teammates looking on. The usual cliches are spoken to the released player, "good luck", "keep in touch", etc but the fact of the matter is, very few of them will be heard from again.

Today the last of these cuts were made. This years American Defenders roster features players from around the corner and around the globe. A few have played for years and some have spent years hoping to play. The backgrounds of the 21 other guys are unique as my own and we have each carved our own strange path to arrive at this small New Hampshire town but for the next 3 months we are teammates. After the summer of 2009, who knows where the baseball life will send us but for now, we must listen to the words of John Fogerty, " We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field." Born again....that is what every baseball season gives you, a chance for new life.

Blogger's note:Above are several images of camp Douquette. We occupied the 2nd floor of that large barracksy looking building.

A Fresh Start

2009-05-18T20:35:00.000-04:00

The last part of my preparation for the '09 baseball season was having my brother throw me batting practice in the cage at our former high school field. He is the coach of the Freshman squad and actually threw a much better BP than I remembered. It's always good to have someone who knows your swing watch you hit before you begin a season and so I was grateful for this opportunity. Following the brief batting practice session at my high school alma mater, St. Mark's High School (Wilmington, DE), I was treated to a going away dinner at the house of the Ogden family. They have been among my most dedicated supporters throughout the trials and tribulations of my baseball career. Don't expect anything fancy at the Ogden household but you should expect a lot of conversation and good food. This time the conversation centered around the start of the summer baseball season. Mr. Ogden will be the skipper of the Pro Therapy franchise in the famed Delaware SemiPro league and I will be heading to Nashua, New Hampshire to play for the American Defenders of New Hampshire of the Can-Am league.
This will be my second stint in the Can-Am league. My first experience was short lived. I was released by the New Haven County Cutters due to an injury after only a few days of training camp. I spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons in St. George, Utah playing for the St. George Roadrunners of the Golden Baseball League. I am excited for this new opportunity to be playing back on the East coast in a new league. The best part of being in the Can-Am league will be that my family and friends will be able to see me play for the first time in a while. I am also very excited about the challenge of playing in a new league. I think it always beneficial to embrace the the wealth of experience that can be gained from making a fresh start.